Sunshine
by Pikpixie
Summary: Updated! Mario lands in a new area in Isle Delfino! Bianco Hills! Can he clean up the mess Shadow Mario has left behind and get the Shine Sprite?
1. Vacation

Pikpixie (disclaimer): I don't own anyone or anything of this game. Wish I could! ;p (This '' means continued with sentences when characters talk) Oh and I used Latha font for FLUDD. And I gave the Polluted Piranhas some other ways to attack since in the game they basically don't do anything to you. I hope you enjoy the revised version of my fic.

On with the story!

Chapter One

**Vacation**

A high-pitch roar sounded as Princess Peach's pink jet soared among the clouds. Deciding to take a break and unwind, Mario and the princess, along with Toadsworth and a handful of other Toads, decided to go to one of the islands to take their vacation in. Being the princess, Peach got to pick out one of the islands first. After she picked one out, they boarded her plane and took off. **Destination: Isle Delfino.**

The plumber and the princess discussed how they should spend their vacation time once they got to the island. Toadsworth, the princess's adviser, waddled in from checking up on Lemon T., the yellow Toad, and Tide T., the blue Toad, the plane pilots. The elder Toad hopped on his seat and settled into it just as a cute golden sun symbol appeared and sparkled over the Isle Delfino map.

"Ooh, look at that!" Peach remarked as a group of Piantas overtook the screen. The islanders introduced them all to Isle Delfino in a warm greeting. They launched into telling them all the wonderful things about their island; the lands, the shops, the rides on the theme park, and...the food. Yes, the food. That one word was all it took for Mario to go into La-La Land. Throughout most of the pleasant greetings...a strange black figure ran about in the background. Princess Peach noticed...

"Mario?! That...that shadow..." Peach was surprised to see a black image of her greatest friend in the screen. She turned and looked at the plumber. Yep. Still not home. She turned back to the screen, confused. "Toadsworth did you see..." Peach murmured, turning to her adviser, only to realize that he, too, was gone into La-La Land when they spoke about the rides. The princess sighed helplessly as Delfino Airstrip came into view.

"Airstrip sighted. We'll be landing right about..." Lemon T. reported from the speakers. Peach closed her eyes and relaxed as the plane touched down. Which only lasted for about two seconds before she was startled back awake when Tide T. yelped.

"HIT THE BRAKES! Turn right! Turn right!!" he yelled as the yellow Toad slammed on the brakes and wrenched the wheel to a hard right. The plane screeched into a halt as it made the turn, stopping at an angle. The sudden stop flung everyone in the plane to the floor with a crash.

"What happened?" Peach mumbled from the below the pile of bodies. Wouldn't she like to know?

Everyone stared in horror at the pinkish paint-like goop that covered most of the middle section of the airstrip. The Toads took a closer look. They scrunched up their faces in disgust at the goo.

"What's this paint-like goop?" Ben T., a red Toad, asked.

"It's...moving!" Lemon T. wailed, as Toadsworth waved his cane at them.

"Now now, boys! Don't touch that stuff." he warned.

Mario spoke to him about how suspicious this was. He then eyed the gooey mess warily. Peach looked up to see how far the paint went. She saw more than she hoped for...

On top of one of the water tanks, stood the black stranger. It stared at her. Only her. It seemed to ignore the others and focused all of its attention at her. Peach blinked rapidly in surprise then glanced down at everyone else.

"Um, excuse me but..."

No one paid attention to her because they were still talking about the goop that was in the way. The princess sighed and looked up again to see if the stranger was still looking at her. He was gone.

"I'm most concerned about the well-being of the princess in this dreadful heat." Toadsworth turned to Mario. "Master Mario, if you would, cross over to that shore and find some assistance."

"Okay. I am concerned about her being in the sun, too. But..." Mario agreed, glancing back at the gunk still on the airstrip with suspicious look, "I'm also concerned about that junk." He started to walk off when Peach touched his arm, worried.

"Mario, be careful. I have a bad feeling about this..." the princess whispered. Mario nodded as Tide T. smiled up at him.

"Don't worry, Mario! We'll look after the princess! Please go and get help." he assured the plumber.

"Oh, yeah. I'm sure you'll watch her very closely. You guys have the eyes of a hawk. Or, more likely, the eyes of a blind man." the plumber muttered under his breath. As he was making his way out, Mario listened to Lemon T. and Wit T., a green Toad, complain about either the goop or the ruined vacation.

"Ick, Mario! It's all...goopy!" the yellow Toad whimpered.

"We came all this way, and now look! Everything's spoiled! Oh...this is the worst! Mario! Please go get some help!" the green Toad groaned.

The red plumber then came upon Mon T., the purple Toad, who was hunched over the pink goo. He hummed, struck his finger in the paint and scooped some up. He then rubbed the substance between his fingers and hummed some more. Mario watched it all with a raised eyebrow.

"What are you doing, Mon T.?" the Mushroom Kingdom hero asked. The Toad looked up at him briefly before returning his gaze back to the mess with a suspicious look on his face.

"Thinking. It looks like this gunk is coming from somewhere below." Mon T. replied, pointing at the large mound of it in the center of the mess. "It's really slippery, so watch your step," he advised. Mario thanked him and moved on.

It took some time but Mario finally made it to the opposite shore, after a few close encounters. Along the way, he tried to help a Pianta that was trapped in the gooey mess. Which was noticeable from the small tree that grew on their heads was the only thing sticking out of there. Try as he would but he just couldn't get the Pianta out, even with the pink female Pianta yelling at him, "What're you waiting for? Do something! This gooey paint of yours completely covered my friend!!!"

But what shocked him the most was what she said to him. But that's impossible! How could this paint be his? It was his first time being here. Still pondering over the questions, Mario walked over to a light blue male Pianta. The islander smiled at him and snatched up a book. Mario looked up at him and smiled. Finally! Someone who can help him out!

"Hello. Do you mind helping me-" the plumber started but the Pianta cut him off. The islander slapped the book to Mario's chest. Hard.

"Welcome to Isle Delfino! Step right up and get yourself a free tourist map!" he greeted as he slapped the plumber on the back. Hard. The slaps knocked the wind out of him. Mario stood there, gasping, to regain his breath. The Pianta waved him goodbye and walked away.

"Okay...thanks...ow." the plumber wheezed, clutching the book to him.

After recovering his breath, Mario walked toward an orange male Pianta. He sighed as he tucked the guidebook into his pocket and walked up to the Pianta. The Pianta was looking at a poster on the wall of a check-in tower.

"Um, excuse me. But can you help me?" the hero of the Mushroom Kingdom asked. The Pianta turned to him with a blank look.

"Huh? Have we met somewhere before? I feel like I've seen you somewhere...and recently, too." he assumed, peering at the plumber. Mario looked confused.

"Um, no." Mario turned and walked away. He came upon a yellow male Pianta, who was hopping up and down like mad. The plumber walked up to him and cleared his throat. The Pianta glared down at him. Mario gulped and asked him if he could help him out. The Pianta's eyes flashed angrily.

"Help? Help you? Are you crazy? We're the ones who need help! Take that water pump and clean up the airstrip, you...you!" he sputtered in rage, pointing at a strange looking pump. Mario backed away toward the pump, sensing his anger.

The plumber reached the pump and looked at it. The pump was no bigger than him. Yellow and blue in color, it has a clear hard plastic tank, filled with water. The nozzle made up the head of the thing and attached to the sides of the upper part of the tank were the controls, or the arms of the pump. Mario took a step forward to pick it up when the pump shifted on it's own!

It spread its arms to balance itself and shook it's head as if it just woke up. It looked up at the plumber. Mario stared back, amazed.

"Power-up complete. Thank you for purchasing this item from Gadd Science, Incorporated. Preparing to register customer information. Scanning subject now..." it said in a strange robotic, yet soft voice, which took Mario by surprise, and began to scan Mario, "Subject classified as Mario, resident of the Mushroom Kingdom. Data storage complete. I am FLUDD, Flash Liquidizer Ultra Dousing Device. I hope to be of assistance."

Mario strapped the pump onto his back, it was a bit heavy but he'll get use it. FLUDD looked over the plumber's shoulder and at him. It seemed to smile proudly at the plumber. "Proceeding with user information."

After a few short minutes of explaining how he was worked and used, Mario soon got the hang of using FLUDD. "User instructions complete. Proceed." FLUDD remarked and looked around. It spotted two red M's on the side of two water tanks. "Mario! Try washing off those M's to test your skills." the pump advised. Mario turned, spotted them, aimed, and fired.

A stream of cool water spewed out of FLUDD's mouth and slammed onto one of the tanks. The red M washed off and left behind a gold coin. The duo did the same to the other tank and received another gold coin. Mario beamed happily and raced off to clean up the area.

He first ran toward the trapped Pianta. He aimed and FLUDD sprayed, washing away the pink goop. The Pianta popped out of the muck and tried to clean himself off, but the paint wouldn't come off! Mario sprayed him to help him clean off. The Pianta jumped for joy as Mario ran up to him and asked if he was okay.

"Brrrrupth! Bleeah! Whoa! I really thought I was a goner!" the Pianta exclaimed after he spat out leftover paint from his mouth. He then looked Mario over and grew angry, "Hey...Hang on! It's you! This whole mess is your fault!" he snapped and walked off in a huff along with his friend. FLUDD cocked his head, confused.

"It appears to be that they accuse you for the mess." FLUDD remarked. Mario frowned and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Yeah, I know. It's strange though," he muttered, "I've never been here before in my life." FLUDD turned his head around and looked at the large paint mass in the middle of the mess.

"How about we forget about that and clean that mound of paint." the pump suggested. Mario looked over his shoulder, which was difficult to do because FLUDD was in the way.

"Oh, yeah. May be if we clean this up then everyone can get off my case. And I can start on my vacation."

They raced off toward the mound and sprayed it. It quivered and made a strange noise. The plumber glared at it and marched forward. Of course, Mario didn't see a glob of paint in front of his foot. He slipped and slid over to the mound and smacked into it. The mound expanded in response, which caused Mario to be flung backwards.

The plumber held his head, dazed and sore. FLUDD looked at the pinkish goop, studying it. He returned his gaze back a Mario.

"Mario, are you alright?" the water pump asked. The red plumber nodded; shaking off the dizziness and standing up, ready to face the mass of paint again. FLUDD smiled, which was hard to see because he was only a pump, and studied the paint again.

"Mario, I've scanned the mass. It seems that the paint is weak against water. Why not spray it and see if it's true?" FLUDD advised.

"Right! Let's just see how strong that goop is!" Mario replied and sprayed it.

The pink mound quivered in response of the sprayed water. The duo continued to spray it until it took up a new form: a huge pink Piranha Plant. People on the Airstrip screamed in terror and ran about in an effort to get away. Mario's blue eyes went wide in horror as the creature towered over him. It was about the same size as Lava Piranha in Lava Lava Island! FLUDD scanned it.

"Exactly how in the world do I beat this thing?! Lava Piranha was hard to beat! It took me hours before I was able to defeat him! And that's **with** help! This thing is gonna be awfully difficult to beat!" Mario wailed as FLUDD finished his scan.

The Polluted Piranha didn't do much of anything...just wavered it's head around, opening it's mouth every once in awhile.

"And why isn't it attacking me?"

"Mario, forget about why that thing isn't attacking you. Just figure out how you should attack it."

Mario aimed FLUDD at it and sprayed. Polluted Piranha quivered in response of the water attack with ease. It smiled cruelly at them. The plumber glared at it.

"Well, that was pointless. It didn't do anything." Mario grumbled, lowering his eyes to think of a plan of attack, as FLUDD looked at the painted piranha plant. Polluted Piranha chose that moment to attack.

It opened its mouth and spat out an over-sized paint ball at Mario! FLUDD reared his head back in horror at the paint ball's incredible speed and size.

"MARIO! Look out!" the water pump cried out too late. Mario snapped his head up in time to be slammed against the floor by the ball. Polluted Piranha seemed to enjoy its attack on the unsuspecting Mario. The plumber emerged from the pink paint and shot the piranha plant an angry glare.

"Oh, you did **not** just do that, painted piranha freak!" he snapped. Polluted Piranha opened its mouth mockingly, as if to stick it's tongue out at him. Mario growled, aimed and fired a stream of water into it.

Polluted Piranha yowled deeply in its throat in pain. FLUDD scanned the muck-covered plant's head. There! Its mouth was the weak point of this monster! Just two more sprays should do it! He relayed the information to the plumber.

The piranha plant coughed up more painted sludge balls at them in frenzy. The duo maneuvered around the attacks and continued to spray its mouth two more times.

"**Mrrrraaaallll!**" Polluted Piranha shrieked in pain and evaporated into the air, taking all of the paint with it. Without the weight of the piranha plant, the rest of the Airstrip popped up to the surface. Something else also popped up. Something small, gold, and glowing. Mario grabbed it.

The plumber looked at it, turning it over in his hands. A cute sun symbol with eyes was the object he grabbed. It was smooth and warm, like the sun's rays. It looked familiar to him. He knew he saw it somewhere before...but where?

"Nice work, Mario" Princess Peach called out to him, breaking his thoughts. Mario looked up at her and smiled, absently pocketing the small sun. The rest of the group joined her, shouting in joy and happiness at Mario's victory. Toadsworth looked at Mario's back.

"Quite an unusual device." the old Toad remarked, "Is it some sort of pump?" FLUDD shifted, surprising everyone except for Mario.

"I am FLUDD. Glad to meet you." he greeted cheerfully, surprising the group again. As the group celebrated on the victory, Lemon T. noticed two Pianta officers marching up to them. And they didn't look too happy.

"Hey! Someone's coming." he called out to get their attentions. Everyone looked up in time to see the two officers standing there, glowering at Mario.

"You are under arrest for the pollution of Isle Delfino." one of the officers said to Mario. The other snapped the handcuffs onto the plumber's wrists. The group looked shocked and began to protest against the charges. Mario was shocked as well but made no move to resist. Had he did, then the officers will be sure that he was the criminal. The Pianta officer turned to Peach and the Toads, motioning them to follow.

"Objection" "Objection" both Peach and Toadsworth cried, sitting up in their seats in the courtroom. The Pianta Judge slammed the small hammer down.

"**_Overruled!_**" he replied sharply, "Until the island is free of his vile handiwork...Mario is not allowed to leave!"

**BAM! **

**BAM! **

Mario sat on the floor in his cell, quite confused. FLUDD looked sad and did a scan of the entire island.

"This appears to be quite a predicament, Mario. Data analysis verifies that the island's inhabits are indeed troubled by pollution. But the pollution itself is not the main problem." the water pump said, turning to face Mario. "Mario, you witnessed this object at the Airstrip, correct?" it asked, drawing a sun symbol in the dust on the floor. The red plumber nodded and pulled it out. It glowed softly.

"It is a Shine Sprite. Shine Sprites are the source of power on Isle Delfino. They used to gather in great numbers at the Shine Gate. But the graffiti incident has the polluted the island and most of the Shine Sprites have fled. There is no longer any power to support the peaceful lifestyle of the islanders. It is the most pitiable.

The only way to ensure the return of the Shine Sprites is to keep the island from becoming any dirtier. The perpetrator is likely at work, even as we speak. And you, Mario, are being treated as a criminal. Tomorrow we must do our best to resolve this situation." FLUDD murmured and Mario agreed...

* * *

Pikpixie: Well? What do you think? Good? Bad? This is a lot harder than it looks! I've already beaten the game so I have to reset a file to get all the info I need for this fic. (Whew!)

?: When do I make my appearance?

Pikpixie (angrily): When you disappear! Now get! It's almost time for your part.

?: I'll be waiting for you Mario....

Mario: I'm already here.

?: Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh! (Jumps into the air)


	2. Shadow Mario Chase

Pikpixie: I own nothing in this game. ?: When do I make my move? Pikpixie (angrily): When I say you do. Now get back in the story or I'll stuff that stick of yours down your throat! ?( runs off): Okay! Okay! I'm going! Pikpixie: Oh, * this means for now that I came up with it. '' that means Someone's thinking. On with the fanfic..  
Chapter Two Shadow Mario Chase!  
  
Morning came over the island, although it was hard to tell when most of the island was covered in darkness. Mario's cell opened and the two Pianta officers entered. Mario sat up in his cell bed and stood before them, quickly rubbing the sleep from his eyes and strapped on FLUDD. The blue Pianta officer motioned the plumber to follow. "Come on, it's time for you to clean up your mess." The Delfino officer then lead Mario out of the cell with the orange Pianta officer picking up the rear. A few minutes later the trio arrived at Delfino Plaza, the bustling center for all Isle Delfino, and stood before the entrance. The blue Pianta Officer turned to the red plumber and cleared his throat. While the orange Pianta Officer kept an eye on Mario.  
  
"Your first assignment is to get rid of all that ugliness. And remember, we'll be watching you, pal. We'll know that you start slacking off! Get started by cleaning up Bianco Square!" he barked and sighed angrily, "Honestly! How could anyone do so much graffiti so quickly?"  
  
"Get going! Clean up Bianco Square and make it snappy! I swear! Graffiti artists just make me so MAD!" the orange Pianta sneered. Mario nodded and ran off to find Bianco Square. He found Lemon T. running around in a circle, wailing at the top of his lungs. "Lemon T.! I'm here. What's wrong?" the plumber asked. The yellow Toad looked up at, his eyes shining with tears. The little helper ran toward Mario and hugged him.  
  
"Waah! You're safe! What a relief! This vacation is crazy! The princess is waiting for you just up ahead." he bawled, tears streaming down his face. A few islanders looked at them both, confused and suspicious. The plumber gulped.  
  
"Too much soda." he whispered to them and the islanders nodded their heads in understanding. Mario turned back to Lemon T., smiled at him, and thanked him for helping him find the princess. He then raced down the path and found Mon T., who was staring up at the sky. He watched him for a moment with a raised eyebrow.  
  
"Mon T., what are you doing?" the plumber asked as the purple Toad snapped his attention to him. He was surprised then looked relieved. "Oh, Mario! Why is the weather so strange?" Mario shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe there's something covering up most of the sun." FLUDD awoke and scanned the sky then cocked his head to one side, confused.  
  
"There isn't a cloud in the sky, Mario." the water pump remarked as the plumber, again, shrugged then ran off to meet up with Princess Peach. Mario found the princess standing next to one of the many buildings in the Plaza, Toadsworth was with her. She was gazing into the distance, showing that she was thinking. The plumber called out to them. "Peach! Toadsworth! Hey, I'm back!"  
  
Peach looked toward the direction of Mario's voice and smiled in joy. "Oh, Mario! You're okay after all! I just knew you would be!" she greeted then pouted, "And why is the sky so dark? It's not sun-drenched! This is hardly my idea of a relaxing vacation, Mario. I want to go home right now!" Mario secretly rolled his eyes in annoyance.  
  
"In order of asking: Don't know. Too bad. You think that being arrested for something I didn't do is a relaxing vacation? Can't." he muttered under his breath. Toadsworth waddled up to him and looked up.  
  
"Well, I'm pleased to see you're safe! I must tell you...we were walking around town earlier, and... it seems the area near the Shine Gate is still quite bright... Perhaps you should check it out, Master Mario..." the elder Toad advised. The plumber agreed to it as soon as he cleaned up the area. FLUDD looked around and spotted an area worth cleaning up.  
  
"Mario, Bianco Square is over there..." he said, facing right. The plumber followed his gaze and his jaw dropped in shock. The entire area was covered in brown goo! "Aw, man. I guess that's what the Piantas wanted me to clean up. Geez! It's gonna take hours to clean it up!" His partner shook his head and seemed to give him a sly grin.  
  
"Not really. Just clean up enough to give us a path to fight that thing in the paint again. Defeat the thing and the rest will evaporate." the pump quipped. The red plumber laughed, embarrassed, "Oh, yeah. Forgot." Mario took a deep breath and ran toward the mass of goop.  
  
It only took him a few seconds to reach the edge of the brown pool of paint and discover something new. Multicolored bubble-type creatures emerged from the pool. They didn't do very much, just wander around and pop. Mario stared at them, awed and confused. FLUDD scanned them.  
  
"These are *Droplets. All they do is wander around and pop, spreading the paint around. But they can be an annoyance. If you're not careful." the pump warned. Mario had a doubtful look on his face.  
  
"And exactly how do they become a threat, FLUDD?" "By jumping on you and splattering paint all over you. Do you really want to be covered in paint, Mario?" ".Good point. FLUDD: 1 and Mario: 0. Dang."  
  
Mario aimed and sprayed a path for him to run across. That's when the Droplets popped up and began to wander into the path. The red plumber scurried across the path toward the brown mass of paint. He skidded to a stop and sprayed the mass until Polluted Piranha emerged from the paint again. It glared at the plumber in hatred. Stop him. Just stop Mario at any cost! EAT HIM IF YOU HAVE TOO! its master snarled. Whatever its master wanted.Polluted Piranha got for him. It lunged at Mario, its mouth opened wide.  
  
The red plumber dodged to one side and sprayed, hoping to hit it in the mouth. It did. The paint monster yowled in pain and spat a paintball. The plumber dodged again and sprayed again. Only to watch in horror as the enemy duck into the paint mass, avoiding the attack. It roared from within the mass. Suddenly, a tiny army of Droplets popped out of the paint and came at Mario. The hero ignored them and sprayed the mass, luring Polluted Piranha out. The giant paint monster opened its mouth. Mario took aim. Bam! The plumber was tackled from behind, sending him sliding into the paint. Mario picked himself up on all fours, almost entirely covered in brown paint. He spat out a bit of paint from his mouth. "What was that, FLUDD? What tackled me?" he asked as FLUDD scanned him for injuries. "The Droplets. I told you that'll be an annoyance if not taken seriously. I hate to say, I told you so but.I told you so." the pump answered, shaking off some brown paint. Polluted Piranha snickered, deeply from its throat. The plumber glared at it. "HEY! WHO SAID YOU COULD LAUGH?!" Mario snapped, spraying into its mouth when it opened it to mock him. The painted piranha shrieked in agony and roared for more Droplets. The little bubbles of paint popped up again from the paint. "Mario! Forget Polluted Piranha! Spray the Droplets!" FLUDD advised and Mario did so. But the problem was, the more they sprayed the Droplets the more of them popped up from the paint to replace the sprayed ones! Then came the horror dry sputter. Mario and FLUDD froze. The plumber pressed the fire button again. Errrrth. Again. Errrrth. Again. Errrrth.  
  
Mario's blue eyes went wide.Uhhhhh-ohhh. An empty tank?! NOW!? the plumber thought, shocked. FLUDD coughed out nothing but air. Yep. No more water. "Mrrrraaaallll!!!" came Polluted Piranha's roar. FLUDD looked up in horror. "Mario! Jump!" the pump shrieked. Mario hurled himself away from the piranha plant's lung attack. He skidded across the area toward a small outcropping. He bumped into it, stunning himself. There was a quiet murmur coming from the outcropping. A familiar murmur. Mario peeked over the brick wall and found.water! It was a small fountain of water! The red plumber leaped over the wall and landed in the water. He pressed the fire button. But instead of firing, FLUDD sucked up the water 'til his tank was full. Mario turned to Polluted Piranha. "Hey! Polluted Piranha!" The paint plant turned to him, growling, opening its mouth. "Drink UP!" Mario sneered and fired a stream of cool water into the Piranha's mouth. "MRRRRAAAALLLL!!!!" it let lose its death scream, a high-pitched shriek, as it melted away. Mario and FLUDD cheered in victory. RUMBLE.! RUMBLE.!  
  
The ground quaked with enough force to shake the entire area of Delfino Plaza. Everyone turned to the sound and froze. A Pianta statue emerged from the ground. But it wasn't the statue that shocked Mario, FLUDD, Toadsworth and Peach. It's what's on it.  
  
"Princess look! On the statue's head!!" shrieked the elder Toad, using his cane to point at it. Peach's blue eyes went wide. "What.?!" she murmured in pure shock as the shadowed Mario she saw before stood tall on the statue's head. He glared at Mario in pure hatred, griping his odd looking brush in his hand. He shifted his vision to her, his eyes glowing a menacing red. ".Mario?!" He stared at her for a second before taking a flying leap off the statue's head toward her. He landed gracefully on the ground, scampered over to Peach, picked her up, slung her over his shoulder and took off down the street; not before he painted a giant 'M' symbol on the ground where Peach once stood. Mario was in complete shock. A shadowed version of him! And he had Peach! "Mario! A kidnapping! Stop the criminal by spraying him with water!" FLUDD yelled. The red plumber raced after him, rounded the corner, and spoke out to his evil counter part. "Who are you and what do you want from the princess?" Mario asked angrily. The figure glared at him before he smiled. "Call me.Shadow Mario. As for my business with the princess. it's none of your concern." Shadow Mario hissed darkly. Yet somehow he sounded like a child. The plumber growled, aimed and sprayed. FLUDD tilted his head back to spew the water further. It hit the evil Mario square in the face. He sputtered in anger, painted yet another 'M' symbol, and wall jumped up to the upper area of Delfino Plaza. Mario followed and noticed the symbol. "So, it was him who framed me! He polluted the island! And I'm getting blamed for it!" Mario realized and wall jumped to follow him.  
  
He met up with him again and sprayed. Shadow Mario sputtered again, painted the same symbol and raced off. This continued on for a few minutes before Shadow Mario finally fell down in exhaustion, dropping the princess in the process. He laid there gasping and panting for air as he thrashed about in anger. Mario raced up to him, tired as well. "OwowowOW! Not fair! Completely unfair! You shouldn't be allowed to use tools like that!" he wailed then gave a sudden wicked grin. He leapt up, knocking Mario off balance, and turned into a dark blue/black ball of light, racing away toward the statue. Mario gave chase. "Mario! I'm sure I saw that person out on the Airstrip! I'm positive he's responsible for all this! Chase him!" Peach called out to her rescuer. "Mario! He's going to the square! Get him!" FLUDD urged as the plumber raced after Shadow Mario. The look-alike stood in front of the statue, laughing darkly at Mario, who growled and ran at him. Shadow Mario whirled around, painted another 'M' on the wall.only it was rainbow in color, zipped in inside. The red plumber skidded to a halt. He and FLUDD stared at it, stunned. "Did you just see what I just saw?" he asked the water tank. FLUDD nodded. "Mario! He escaped into the graffiti! Go follow him!" the pump cried as his partner cocked his head to one side in shock and annoyance. "And HOW exactly do I follow him!? I'm not made out paint, ya know!" Mario griped, studying the painting. "Try spraying it with water!"  
  
Mario shrugged and sprayed it. It glowed in a soft colorful light. The duo looked at each other, back at the painting, then back at each other before shrugging and leaping into the a brand new area to them. The 'M' painting showed the area where Shadow Mario escaped into.  
  
Bianco Hills.  
Pikpixie: Hey, how was this chappie? Good? Bad? In between? Oh, well. ?: Kyiiiiiaaaaaaa! Pikpixie (glares): Hey! Who said you could come out and SCREAM in my ear!? ?: (becomes quiet) Pikpixie: Good. Now get back in the story! We're not even CLOSE to you yet!! (takes a flamethrower and chases after it.) Bad plant! Bad Plant! Fore shame! ?:Kyiiiiiaaaaaaa! Kyiiiiiaaaaaaa! Shadow Mario: Um, R&R please! Can you guess which BOSS she's chasing? Pikpixie: It'll be you too if you don't get your shadowy butt back in the fic! 


	3. Author's Note

Author's Note

Sorry, you guys for leaving you hanging, but I didn't have net connection in a long time. That and I've lost my interest in making the Mario Sunshine fic. But it's back now. Thanks to you readers and your reviews! The next chapter will be up as soon as possible. Again, thank you. And if you like Kingdom Hearts, and Resident Evil. I'm making those stories too.


	4. Road to the Big Windmill

Pikpixie: I am so sorry for updating so late! Especially, to those who waited forever for this update. I had a lot to do with applying for college and all. But I won't bore you with any of that. On with the fic!

Disclaimer: I own nothing in this game! It's all pure Nintendo!

Chapter Three

Road to the Big Windmill

Mario and FLUDD materialized in a bright, sunny area. The plumber gazed around the path he was on, trying to seek out his shadow counterpart. But found no sign of him anywhere.

"Hey, FLUDD, do see Shadow Mario anywhere?" the plumber asked. FLUDD looked around and scanned the small area they were in. Even his scans came up empty.

"No. Maybe you should ask around and get some clues from the residents." the water pump replied. Mario frowned. He didn't want to ask but if it helped track down his counterpart and help clear his name then he had no choice but to do so. The plumber sighed.

"Great. All right, fine, I'll ask. But I swear, if any of them start griping at me that all this was my fault…" the Mushroom Kingdom hero began to growl.

"Mario, that's no way for a hero to act! Come on, we need to find Shadow Mario!" FLUDD scolded then looked up. He saw a couple of Piantas a little up the path, "I see a few Piantas up ahead! Let's go talk to them!"

The plumber sighed again and ran up the path toward the nearest Pianta. The blue Pianta noticed and paused in his walking. Mario ran up to him, paused in front of the Pianta, and panted. The hero of the Mushroom Kingdom opened his mouth to speak but the look on the blue Pianta's face stopped him. The male Pianta gave him a curious look.

"Huh? You're back again, are you? You seemed like you were in such a hurry the last time I saw you." he remarked.

Mario blinked in surprise, "I was?"

The blue Pianta nodded and walked away. Mario just stood there, confused. _ I came running by here earlier? No, that can't be right. I just barely got here in Bianco Hills…_>the plumber thought to himself. Just then a female pink Pianta walked up to Mario and gave him a suspicious look.

"What's going on? Didn't you just come running through here with a big paintbrush? And now you've got that heavy device on your back…? Strange…" she said before she, too, walked away.

Mario froze. _A paintbrush? I don't have a painbr- wait…Shadow Mario was carrying a paintbrush during our first encounter with him. Which means…yes! He is here! Now all I have to do is find him and get him to the police. Then my name will be cleared! _>

FLUDD broke through Mario's thoughts with a gasp. Mario turned to his partner, confused. "What's up, FLUDD? I know Shadow Mario is here! We've got to find him!"

"I know. But this area has a polluting problem at a critical level!" the water pump yelped. The plumber's blue eyes went wide.

"Where?!"

"On the other side of the hill!"

"All right, let's go and clean up that area!" Mario replied and raced up the path toward the polluted area. On his way up the small hill, Mario failed to notice two sprinklers spraying water on the path, which of course he slipped on the water and went sliding down the hill face first. He zoomed past gold coins and another male blue Pianta, who stood on the grass next to the path. Mario cried out in alarm when he noticed that he was heading toward a river at a pretty fast rate.

**SPLASH! **

The duo plunged headfirst into the calm river. Mario swam up to the surface, sputtering and gasping for air. He swam back toward the path and carefully heaved himself out of the water and onto the path. He stood and removed his hat, squeezing the water out of it.

"Great, now I'm completely wet." Mario griped as he continued to squeeze the water out of his hat. FLUDD scanned the area up ahead before confirming his findings.

"Mario, my scans indicate that the pollution is on the other side of that huge white wall."

"Really? Well, how you expect us to get up there? Fly?"

"You can use the Hover Nozzle."

The plumber looked at the wall and judged the height of it, then shook his head. "That won't, FLUDD. The Hover Nozzle can't do it alone. The wall is too high."

"Guess we'll just have to find a way around it or through it. But first, we need to get to the other side of the river." FLUDD remarked.

Mario looked at FLUDD with a half glare. "I am **not **getting back in that river. I'm already wet as it is." He dug in his heels at the subject.

FLUDD looked around and spied a rope going across the river. He scanned it and found that the rope can easily support their combined weight. He gently tapped the plumber on the head with his nozzle, getting his attention. When the hero looked at him, the water pump pointed to the rope.

"Why not use that rope there? I've scanned it and it can certainly support our weight," the water pump advised.

Mario looked uneasily at the rope. "Are you sure?"

FLUDD nodded. "Of course. My scans are never wrong."

"Well, alright." Mario walked toward the rope and the male blue Pianta noticed how nervous the plumber was and called out to him.

"You want to try climbing the ropes?" the Pianta asked.

"Yeah."

The Pianta laughed good-naturedly. "It's easy! Never fear! Just get up there and bounce around. You'll be fine."

Mario smiled at the helpful Pianta. "Alright, thanks!" He climbed on top of the rope and after getting used to the bouncy pattern of the rope, he began to cross it.

"Hey, why not bounce across? It'll be faster." FLUDD asked.

"Alright, let's try it." The plumber began to jump on the rope, bouncing the rest of the way to the other side of the clear river. When he landed on solid dry land, the plumber laughed a bit. "Hey, that was pretty fun to do."

FLUDD nodded in agreement before returning to his dormant mode, where he is still active but not being used at all at the time. As Mario turned to thank the male Pianta again, the water pump saw a female orange Pianta gazing at something on the white wall.

"Mario, there's someone here who may help us." Mario's partner called. The plumber turned around, saw the Pianta as well and walked up to her.

"Excuse me. But can you tell me how to get to the other side of the wall here?" Mario asked politely.

The female Pianta blinked and nodded. "Alright. There's a trail here that connects to the Big Windmill." she replied.

Mario's hopes rose.

"But the goop made it too dangerous so the door's been closed."

The plumber's heart sank. Great. Now how was he going to clean up the mess?

The Pianta spoke again after seeing his disappointed expression, "You might be able to get through by using the water wheel up ahead." She winked and pointed out where to go.

Mario smiled and thanked her before running off toward the water wheel. After encountering a few minor enemies (defeating them were easy. All he had to do was bounce on their heads), Mario reached the water wheel. He watched the wheel's motion for a few seconds before figuring out how to use it to get to the other side of the wall. Mario didn't have to wait long before one of the wheel's spokes came to him slowly. He jumped onto it and rode it to the top and jumped off and onto the wall.

"Well, that was easy." Mario laughed before setting his gaze on the meadow. But once his eyes settled on the area before him, his jaw dropped. The entire meadow was covered in brown goo!

"Ahh! You weren't kidding about Bianco Hills having a huge polluting problem, FLUDD!" the plumber yelped. FLUDD didn't answer. He was looking at the red mark below Mario's boots.

"Mario, look below you. There's a red mark I can't make out."

The Mushroom Kingdom hero stared down at his feet and noticed the mark as well. He stepped away from it and growled. It was the red 'M' symbol Shadow Mario used.

"All right! That is coming off now!" he hissed and sprayed it.

The red 'M' melted away and left behind a blue coin. The plumber stared at it before he picked up and looked at more closely. Other than the fact it was basically the same as the gold coins, this one was different. And it wasn't just the color that made it different; it was the symbol that was engraved into it. It was a star symbol. And Mario had a sudden feeling that these kinds of coins are going to be important and he should hang onto them.

He pocketed the coin and jumped off the wall. He landed on the only clean patch of the area and set to work on cleaning a path for him to search for the source. But as he neared the path leading to the Big Windmill, a huge ball of brown paint came barreling towards him. His eyes widen at the object and he dove out of the way before it could crush him. He landed in the brown paint but at least he wasn't flattened like a pancake. He sat up and watched the ball continue rolling in a straight line and spread paint around.

"What in the world was that!?" he cried.

"I'm not sure, Mario." FLUDD replied, "I didn't get the chance to scan it."

"Well, whatever that was nearly flatten me into an Italian pancake. Do you know where the source of this mess is?"

FLUDD scanned the immediate area they where in and pinpointed where. "Yes. It's coming from near the Big Windmill."

"Really? I bet its another Polluted Piranha."

"It is."

"Well, let's go check it out FLUDD."

The duo raced over to where the Big Windmill was and spotted, yet another large mass of brown paint that was spiting out the large balls of paint. The plumber aimed and sprayed the mass, which only responded by spiting out another large ball. Mario sprayed at it, hoping for it to dissolve like all the other paint his sprayed before but only to find out that it didn't and it ran into him, knocking him back. The hero shook his head to clear it and took a closer look at the huge ball. What he saw disgusted him.

"Geez! It's a Piranha Plant head! Gross!" the red plumber yelped and sprayed the mass again 'til Polluted Piranha emerged.

The huge "plant" creature let out an inhumane roar, as it stood tall. Mario only glared at it and sprayed its mouth when it opened. It yowled in pain and coughed up another paint covered piranha plant head. The Mushroom Kingdom hero dove into shallow end of the lake that surrounded Polluted Piranha at three sides. The massive ball barreled down at him and Mario froze in fear. He was going to be crushed!

**Hhhhiiissss! **

The plumber blinked in surprise as the painted head dissolved into the air when it touched the lake. _But how? I sprayed it with FLUDD and it didn't dissolve._ He looked at the pool and noticed that it went up to his neck. _Oh, I get it now. The stream of water sprayed by FLUDD was too small and weak to stop it but the lake is much more deeper. It'll dissolve instantly if it touches it.>_

Polluted Piranha opened its maw to cough up another ball and Mario sprayed it before it could. "**Mrrrraaalll!**" it roared out and small army of Droplets began to come after Mario as the creature dove back into its base to recover.

(A/N: Nothing more annoying than the Droplets, eh?)

Mario tried his best to ignore them as they jumped all over him, though most didn't make the jump and ended up in the lake. He stood still, his face mostly covered in paint as he waited and watched for Polluted Piranha.

Suddenly, the slimy Piranha Plant erupted from the mass and made a lunge at Mario, startling him. Its speed was incredibly fast for such a huge beast, but Mario was able to spray anyway, hitting it directly in the mouth.

"**Mrrrraaallll!**" it howled in agony as it dissolved into the air. The duo sighed now that their enemy was gone.

**Rumble!**

**Rumble!**

The ground quaked violently as something rose from the murky depths of the goop. It rose higher and higher 'til it's tip met with the end of a bridge. It was the hill that led to the Big Windmill! Mario freed it! And something else emerged from the goop that was once Polluted Piranha. It was small and a shiny gold…. Another Shine Sprite!

The plumber swam out of the lake and ran up the hill to get the little island guardian. He snagged it, spun around once and did his famous victory pose, holding up the Shine Sprite.

"Shine!" Mario laughed then gasped as the tiny sun symbol pulled away from his grip. It slowly spun around him as if to check him over and almost seemed to smile at him. It cooed at Mario as it began to spin around his body more rapidly. The plumber looked confused, as the Shine Sprite became a blur.

"FLUDD, what's it doing?"

"I'm not sure," the water pump answered.

Suddenly, the Shine Sprite disappeared into thin air taking Mario and FLUDD with it through a special warp…

**THUD!**

Mario landed on his rear on solid ground somewhere. He was still a bit dizzy from the fast pace of the warp the Shine Sprite led them through.

"FLUDD, where are we?" the plumber muttered dizzily with his eyes still closed. The water pump gazed around and looked rather surprised.

"We're back in Delfino Plaza."

"We are?"

"Welcome back! We're so glad you're safe, Mario!" came Princess Peach's voice, directly behind him. He stood up and turned to her. She still carried the umbrella and smiled warmly at him. He returned the smile.

"This vacation's just been a whirlwind of bizarre events, huh?" the princess continued. Mario sighed inwardly.

_ You're telling me. Guess the Shine Sprite warped us out of the Bianco Hills.>_ he thought.

"And now the boat to the hotel isn't even running!" she added with a whiny tone. Mario mentally gave her an irritated look just as Toadsworth waddled up to him.

"This island seems to be the victim of a bad turn of fate. Oh my, yes…" the old Toad murmured. The plumber thought a little.

_ My thoughts exactly, Toadsworth.>_ Mario agreed.

* * *

Pikpixie: (shoving something huge back into the fic.)

???: Kiyyaaa! (refuses to go in)

Pikpixie: (shoves harder)

Shadow Mario: Psst! You're on!

Pikpixie: Huh? (Looks at readers) Oh! (Tosses the large object at Shadow Mario)

???: Kiiiyyyyaaaaa!!!!

Shadow Mario: Ahhhh!

Pikpixie: Hey, guys! How was that chappie? Good? Bad? Whatever? Anyway, you guys know the drill! R & R please!

Shadow Mario: Get this thing offa me!

???: Kiyyyaaa!


End file.
